Peles Castle how to get from Brasov. Peles Castle in Romania. Interior design of the castle
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Peles is one of the most beautiful castles in Romania. The architecture of the building is eclectic, a lot of things are mixed here: Rococo, Baroque, and Renaissance. There are columns and fountains on the terraces, and several towers on the roof.
Peles got its name from the name of the river that flows in the park around the castle. The park ensemble itself is worth a short walk. It is very beautiful here: terraces, fountains, statues. At the entrance to the castle there is a statue of King Carol I. And in the park you can find a sculpture of Queen Elizabeth, who is busy with embroidery.
The collection of weapons in the castle numbers more than four thousand items.
Construction of the castle began in 1873 and continued for several decades. The construction was carried out by Carol I and his wife Elizabeth, in whose letters you can find many references to the construction of Peles. The castle opened only in 1883, but then reconstruction continued. Since Peles was built in the mid-19th century, all the advanced technologies of that time were used. Peles became the first castle in the world to have electricity and even an elevator. A little later, in 1916, a cinema was even built in the castle.
The building has 160 rooms and 30 bathrooms. Everywhere there is a rich interior: ebony, porcelain, leather from Cordoba, oriental carpets, tapestries, gold and silver dishes, paintings, sculptures, ivory. The chandeliers in the castle are mainly made of expensive Murano glass. The windows are made of stained glass, hand-painted by Swiss craftsmen.
The most interesting rooms are considered to be the king's library (more than 800 rare volumes) and his study (not fully decorated, since the king died in the midst of work, and it was decided to leave everything like that), a dining room, an auditorium (there was a cinema there), a meeting room and halls of Eastern and European weapons. The collection of weapons numbers more than four thousand items. The most valuable exhibit is an original item from Turkey: half pistol, half dagger.
It’s also worth checking out the music, Moorish, Florentine, oriental, and Turkish halls. The names make it clear in what style these rooms are made.
After World War II, the castle was nationalized and turned into a public museum. But by the end of Nicolae Ceausescu's reign, Peles was closed to visitors and turned into a residence for the country's leadership. Moreover, Nicolae Ceausescu himself also rarely visited the castle. According to legend, the museum workers are to blame for this, who started a rumor that there was a lot of harmful fungus in the castle, and Ceausescu was quite suspicious in terms of his health.
After 1989, Peles was reopened, and in 2006 the Romanian government returned the castle to the royal family. It is interesting that the dynasty abandoned Peles, but in return “asked” the country’s leadership for 30 million EUR. The request was fulfilled, and Peles finally gained the status of a state museum. About 500 thousand people visit Peles every year.
Peles is open to visitors every day except Monday. The castle does not accept visitors in November. Opening hours: from 10:00 to 16:00.
Coordinates
Peles is located in the town of Sinaia, which can be reached from Bucharest by train or from Brasov by bus. And already in the city itself, any “native” will tell you the way to the castle.
Address: Romania, Prahova Country, Sinaia town, Aleea Pelesului, 2.
Prices on the page are as of September 2018.
In a picturesque corner of the Carpathian Mountains, on the medieval route that connects Wallachia and Transylvania, it was built Peles Castle(Castelul Peleş).
It is located near the city of Sinaia. The capital is located at a distance of 135 kilometers. Construction of the castle took place from 1873 to 1914. The castle received its name in honor of the mountain river flowing in the immediate vicinity.
King Carol I (1839-1914) rejected several initial designs for the castle due to high cost and lack of originality.
However, the architect Johann Schulz was able to design a castle that pleased the king: a small castle, or rather a spacious palace, in an Alpine style that combined Italian elegance with German neo-Renaissance aesthetics to serve as a summer residence filled with political, cultural and symbolic meanings. 
The architecture of the building is eclectic, a lot of things are mixed here: Rococo, Baroque, and Renaissance.
In addition to the king, his wife Elizabeth was also involved in the construction, in whose letters one can find many references to the construction of Peles. The castle opened only in 1883, but immediately began to be reconstructed. Since the castle was built in the second half of the 19th century, during a period of rapid development of technology, it used all the advanced technologies of that time. A power plant was built specifically to supply the castle, and Peles became the first castle in the world to provide electricity and even install an elevator. A little later, in 1916, a cinema was even built in the castle.
In 1947, after the forced abdication of King Michael, the new government confiscated all royal property, including the Peles estate and castle. Most of the collections of paintings, furniture, textiles, decorative art and books were transferred to the National Museum of Art in Bucharest. For some time the castle was open to tourists, and in 1953 it was declared a museum. The castle's service premises served as a holiday home for Romanian cultural figures
But at the end of Nicolae Ceausescu’s reign, Peles Castle was closed to visitors and turned into a residence for the country’s leadership. Here it is worth mentioning the story due to which Nicolae Ceausescu himself visited it very rarely. And all because the museum workers started a rumor that there was a lot of harmful fungus in the castle, and Ceausescu was quite distrustful in terms of his health.
After 1989, Peles was reopened, and in 2006, the Romanian government returned the castle to the royal family. But the dynasty abandoned Peles for a modest reward - € 30,000,000. The request was fulfilled, and finally Peles received the status of a state museum.
The interior design of the castle is not made in the same style.
The castle building has 160 living rooms and 30 bathrooms. The interior looks very rich: ebony, porcelain, leather from Cordoba, oriental carpets, tapestries, gold and silver dishes, paintings, sculptures, ivory.
The most interesting for tourists to visit are the king's library (containing more than 800 rare volumes) and his study room (not fully decorated, since the king died in the midst of work, and it was decided to leave everything as is), the dining room, the hall for spectators (there was a cinema), meeting room and rooms for Eastern and European weapons. It is also worth checking out the music, Moorish, Florentine, oriental and Turkish halls. Their names give an idea of the style in which the interior of these rooms is made and filled.
The park ensemble is also worthy of attention. It is very beautiful here: terraces decorated with beautiful fountains, exquisite staircases, urns, lions, Carrara marble statues and various fancy decorative details.
Peles Castle collections
Glassware collection
Glassware collection National Museum Peles includes more than 1,500 exhibits. The initiative to create the collection belonged to King Carol I, and his followers, especially Queen Mary, continued to enrich it. The collection includes German, Italian, Austrian, English, French and Czech crystal vases made in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.
Collection of gold and silver items
This collection consists of approximately 5,500 exhibits, including objects of great artistic and documentary value. The basic collection was created by King Carol I, who ordered items from various craftsmen from,. Exhibits in the collection belonged to the King and Queen of Romania, other members of the Romanian royal house and their contemporaries. The collection contains many gifts to Romanian monarchs on anniversaries, birthdays, holidays dedicated to defining events in the history of Romania. It should be noted that approximately a third of the silverware collection is represented by German creations: cups, decorative beer mugs, tableware, decorative figurines, cigarette cases, ties, frames, key chains, hair clips, pens, pencils, rings, glasses, decorative plates.
Watch collection
King Carol I was known for his punctuality, so this collection of more than fifty clocks from the 18th to 20th centuries: wall clocks, table clocks, floor clocks, miniature clocks and mantel clocks, in a variety of typologies and styles, was created by him with special attention and care. The collection also includes several alarm clocks and pocket watches. The famous Swiss watch company Patek Philippe produced the pocket watch of the first king of Romania in 1881. The watch case is made of solid gold, with a monogram engraved on the bezel, topped by a crown encrusted with diamonds and rubies. This clock is also a museum exhibit.
Collection of stained glass windows.
Revived in the 19th century, the medieval art of stained glass is seen as an architectural demonstration of Christian sentiments, as a means of depicting divine light, which is reflected on believers. By order of King Carol I, a collection of stained glass windows from the time of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was assembled, as well as specially made ones between 1881 and 1883 by the FX Zettler company from Munich. The collection contains about 800 stained glass windows, which are distinguished mainly by the original method of representing religious scenes.
Weapons collection
There are more than four thousand copies. The most interesting and most valuable exhibit is an original item from: it is half pistol and half dagger. 
Collection of external monumental sculpture
The Peles Castle of King Carol I is surrounded by a beautiful garden with terraces created between 1881 - 1914. The political context of King Carol I's reign as a young monarch prompted him to surround his residence with an appropriate garden. After much hesitation, the king settled on the classical model of the French monarchy, whose ideology was supported and complemented by landscape architecture. The gardens contain many beautiful fountains and statues.
Textile Collection
Oriental rugs
The purchase of carpets for Peles Castle was carried out in parallel with other items; King Carol I was equally interested in painting, sculpture, furniture, weapons, silver, tapestries, etc. The king's passion for art continued throughout his life. The collection consists of about 300 oriental carpets, which were made by famous workshops of that time in Persia (the cities of Kirman, Keshana, Tabriz, Isfahan, Khorasan), Turkish Anatolia (Istanbul, Smyrna manufactories), the Caucasus (Shirvan, Karabakh workshop) and Turkmenistan (Bukhara) .
Tapestries
Along with carpets, the textile collection contains some tapestries that were made in famous tapestry centers in Europe (France, Belgium, Italy). The most valuable tapestries from the collection are exhibited in the Hall of Honour, the main reception hall of the castle, made in the Aubusson workshop in France in the mid-18th century. A valuable Flemish tapestry in the collection is a tapestry of impressive dimensions (523x270 cm) called “The Justice of Trajan”, from the middle of the 16th century.
Collection of ceramics.
In this huge artistic project, the collection of ceramics (ceramic tiles, porcelain) of Peles Castle occupies a fairly significant place (the collection includes more than 5,000 exhibits). The collection includes items from European and Oriental craftsmen that were in fashion in the 19th century.
Official website: http://peles.ro
Peles Castle address
Aleea Pelesului 2, Sinaia 106100, România.
Coordinates: 45.35966, 25.541697.
And one of the most beautiful in Europe. The former residence of the Romanian monarchs was equipped with all the technical innovations of the last century: telephone communications, a cinema, two elevators, central heating. It was also the first fully electrified one.
Myths and facts
At the end of the 19th century, Romania became a kingdom, uniting the three principalities of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldova. The German prince Carol I from the Hohenzollern dynasty was invited to rule the state. They say that he liked the surrounding landscapes of Sinai so much, reminiscent of his native land, that he decided to build a summer residence here.
The demanding ruler rejected several projects that, in his opinion, were not very original. As a result, the work of the architect I. Schultz was chosen and construction began.
The castle was built from 1873 to 1914 (including finishing work). In total, about $120 million was spent on the project. The palace was named Peles (translated as “belt”) - after the name of the river flowing nearby.
In 1883, a ball was held on the occasion of the prince’s inauguration, and in 1893 his son, Carol II, was born here.
Peles Castle served as a royal residence until 1947, when it, along with other royal property, was confiscated by the communists who came to power. In 1953, a museum was located in the complex, and in 1975-1989 it was a closed area intended for recreation and official meetings of the Romanian ruler Ceausescu.
Since 1990, the palace was open to tourists, and in 2008 it was returned to the ownership of the royal family - the former King of Romania, Michael I. After negotiations between him and the government, the latter bought Peles for a decent amount of 30 million euros. Nowadays there is a museum here, and the building itself is considered a historical monument.
What to see
In terms of structure and functions, Peles is more likely a palace, but it is traditionally called. It was built in the neo-Renaissance style with Baroque elements. The area of the structure is 3200 m2, and the height of its towers is 66 m.
The internal “filling” is a mix of all possible styles: German Renaissance, Rococo. They say that a tour of the palace is a mini-trip through the countries of Europe and Asia. 160 rooms (30 of them are bathrooms) have their own unique interior.
The highest room is the front lobby with a height of 16 m. The hall is a copy of the German Chamber of Commerce in Lübeck. It is decorated with wood and bas-reliefs made of marble plaster, depicting biblical, mythological and historical scenes. Interestingly, the glass ceiling of the hall is still moved apart using an electric motor for ventilation.
In the hall of European weapons there is a collection of the 15th-19th centuries; the exhibition includes 4,000 items - this is one of the richest collections in Europe.
Medieval weapons are also on display in the hall of oriental weapons. The rich interiors include the king's office, a meeting room, music, Moorish and Florentine rooms. The handmade wooden carvings, original stained glass windows (the richest collection of stained glass windows in Romania), collections of valuable paintings, tapestries and statues are impressive.
The castle is surrounded by a landscaped park with terraces. Nearby are the Pelisor Palace and the Sinaia Monastery
Excursion to Peles: how to get there, what to see, entrance fees and opening hours. What hotels can you book near Peles Castle? Why not - because there are amazing places in Sinai!
Peles Castle gets its name from the river that flows near it. The initiator of its construction was King Carol the First, who in the early 1870s decided to build a new house for himself and his family. The work was personally supervised by the king and his wife. The construction process is partially described in letters from Queen Elizabeth to King King I.
Castle construction
The letters established the start date for the construction of the building, the foundation of which was laid in 1873. Despite the fact that the royal family moved into the castle ten years later, finishing and construction work continued for another two decades. A special feature of the castle were technical innovations that were invented at the end of the 19th century. First, electricity appeared here, and then an elevator was installed. During the First World War, a cinema was opened in the castle.
Architecture and interior of the palace
The external appearance of Peles Castle combines several styles - from Rococo to Renaissance, resulting in a mixed eclecticism. It manifests itself everywhere: in design, decorative elements, furniture. Columns and fountains were placed on the terraces of the building, and the roof was decorated with towers. The entrance to the castle begins in the park, in the middle of which stands the royal residence. A statue depicting Queen Elizabeth was placed here.
The inside of Peles Castle is decorated in the same mixed styles. This was a consequence of the fact that each owner of the castle tried to improve its interior. At the same time, oriental motifs and classical European architectural styles are clearly visible in it. The windows in the castle are stained glass, which were painted by Swiss masters.
One hundred and sixty rooms and thirty baths were built in the castle. Each room is decorated in a unique style. The main interior materials are leather, tapestries, gold and silver, porcelain. Paintings by famous artists from Europe and the world are hung on the walls. Sculptures, precious dishes, and antiques are placed in many rooms.
The attention of visitors is attracted by the chandeliers hung in the central halls of the castle. They are made of Murano glass and were specially delivered to.
Opening for visitors
The castle belonged to the royal dynasty until the end of World War II, but since 1945 it has undergone the inevitable - nationalization. N. Ceausescu believed that it was worth making a museum here. At the end of the 1980s. it was closed and became the residence of the head of state. After the collapse of the communist regime, Peles Castle was again open to visitors. An attempt was made to hand him over to representatives of the royal family, but they refused.
Fortunately for travelers and connoisseurs of elegant architecture, Peles Castle has again become a museum, which is visited annually by almost five hundred thousand people.
How to get to Peles Castle
To get to Sinaia and see the most beautiful castle in Romania with your own eyes, you first need to buy air tickets to Bucharest. And from there you can get to the ski Mecca of the country and Peles Castle itself.
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The Peles Palace Museum is located within the city of Sinaia. If you are vacationing at this resort, you can walk on foot if you wish. Or order a taxi so you don't get lost.
To get to Peles from Brasov or Bucharest you also have to go through Sinaia. From Brasov - by intercity bus, from Bucharest - by train from the northern station (Gara de Nord).
Peles Castle on the map of Romania
Peles Palace Address: Aleea Peleșului 2, Sinaia 106100, Romania
Opening hours and excursions to Peles Palace
The castle museum is open to the public all year round, with the exception of one month - November. You can enter the palace daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
There is one caveat to visiting Peles Castle: you can only get inside with an organized excursion, not on your own. You can buy an excursion to Peles directly at the museum ticket office. There are Russian-speaking guides there. The only other way is to purchase a sightseeing trip in the city of Sinaia or any other place in Romania. It is also worth considering that out of almost 170 (!) rooms and halls of the palace, only 35 are available for tourists to explore. But this is also a lot.
Some visitors ask us whether it is worth going inside at all? Maybe it’s enough to take a photo of the building’s façade and take a walk in the park? But we are sure - it’s worth it, the interiors of Peles are impressive! This is not rustic, this palace has an abundance of beauty and grace.
Entrance tickets to Peles Castle - prices 2019
At the checkout you will be offered (or rather, you will have to figure it out on your own) 3 options for excursions to Peles Castle. The main difference between them is the duration:
- Great excursion. It is also the most complete, covering all the premises of the palace open to the public. Its cost is 70 RON;
- Average excursion. Includes first and second floors. Excursion price - 50 RON;
- Small excursion. You can call it introductory (but it lasts no less, about 40 minutes). Suitable for getting a general impression of what the interiors of Peles Castle are like. Cost - 20 RON.
For photo and video shooting you will have to pay an additional 32 RON and 50 RON respectively. But you can take pictures with flash.
Between 1873 and 1914, his inauguration took place in 1883. The name was given to it by a nearby mountain river. Currently, the castle is a historical monument. The National Museum of Peles is located on the castle grounds.
| Lock | |
| Peles Castle | |
|---|---|
| Castelul Peles | |
| Peles Castle in winter |
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| 45°21′35″ n. w. 25°32′34″ E. d. HGIOL | |
| A country | Romania Romania |
| City | Sinaia |
| Architectural style | neo-renaissance |
| Founder | Carol I |
| Date of foundation | |
| Construction | - years |
| Website | peles.ro |
| Media files on Wikimedia Commons | |
Peles Castle in summer
Castle courtyard
Story
Description
The first architect of the castle was the German Johann Schulz (1876-1883), his successor was the Czech architect Karel Liman. In terms of its structure and functions, Peles is a palace, but everyone lovingly calls it a castle. The main architectural style is Neo-Renaissance, but the half-timbered courtyard facades with their sumptuously painted walls show Saxon influence, and the Baroque influence is noticeable in the interiors, decorated with rich wood carvings and fine fabrics.
Peles Castle has 3200 m² of area, more than 160 rooms, 30 bathrooms, luxuriously furnished and exquisitely decorated, a theater hall with 60 seats with a royal box. It has one of the finest collections of art from eastern and central Europe, which includes sculpture, paintings, furniture, weapons and armour, gold and silverware, ivory, porcelain, carpets and tapestries. The collection of weapons and armor includes more than 4,000 items. Oriental carpets were produced in the best workshops in Bukhara, Mosul, Isparta and Smyrna. The collection of Sevres and Meissen porcelain and leather from Cordoba is amazing, but the most impressive thing is the hand-painted stained glass windows from Switzerland.
During the construction of the castle, the most modern technologies of the time were used - built in 1883, the castle was initially equipped with a central heating system and was fully electrified. The height of the castle clock tower is 66 meters